Winery Az. Agr. Abbona Marziano
Today we are back in Piedmont from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, where we were visiting Cristian Beltrame.
Winery Az. Agr. Abbona Marziano…
Dogliani…
The heart of Abbona’s vineyards is located in Dogliani between the villages of Santa Lucia and San Luigi. Here, dolcetto, barbera, viognier, chardonnay, and pinot nero are cultivated. Some of the best wines of the company come from these crus, including Dogliani wines Papà Celso and San Luigi, Langhe Bianco Cinerino, Langhe Barbera Casaret, Favorita Valle dell’Olmo and sparkling Metodo Classico wines.
In this zone, the altitude is between 400 and 480 m asl, with clayey soil of medium impact. The best landplots of the area are represented by the vineyards of Doriolo and San Luigi, from which Dogliani DOCG Papà Celso and Dogliani DOCG San Luigi wines are made (respectively).
I counted from Az. Agr. Abbona Marziano 18 (eighteen) wines. Of which there are 13 red, including 7 DOCG and 6 DOC.
Red wines are: Dogliani DOCG Papà Celso, Langhe DOC Barbera Casaret, Barbera d'Alba DOC Rinaldi, Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC Bricco Barone, Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Garombello, DOCG Barbaresco, DOCG Barolo, Barolo DOCG Pressenda, Barolo DOCG Ravera, Barolo DOCG Cerviano, Langhe DOC Rosso Zerosolfiti, Langhe DOC Rosso I Due Ricu and Dogliani DOCG San Luigi
White wines are: Langhe DOC Bianco Cinerino, Langhe DOC Favorita Valle dell’Olmo, Roero Arneis DOCG Tistin and Vino Bianco da Uva Stramatura Piculin
There are 4 white and one sparkling wine. White's Tistin -DOCG. The two have DOC. And only one has no category, but this is the latest wine from winery. It is made by withering the grapes for a long time on the vine and in the cellar, and then it ages in barrels for another extended period of time. Its freshness, acidity, and sweet notes blend together in perfect harmony, characteristics that make this an excellent passito…
Monforte d’Alba…
On the hills of Monforte d’Alba, 5 km north of Dogliani, Abbona cultivates land in the villages of Rinaldi and Castelletto, both of which bear the names of Barolo crus. This is also where the Pressenda vineyard is located.
In Rinaldi, which has calcareous marl soil, Barbera and Nebbiolo grow to produce Barbera d’Alba Rinaldi and Nebbiolo d’Alba Bricco Barone.
The vineyard Pressenda is characterized by calcareous, clayey marl and overlooks the majestic castle of Serralunga. Here, the grapes for Barolo Pressenda are cultivated, making a wine that is powerful and elegant with great longevity.
As for Novello…
In the township of Novello, 10 km northeast of Dogliani, Abbona cultivates a vineyard of about 4 hectares (10 acres) located within the prestigious cru Ravera. The soil – prevalently white calcareous marl – together with the historical importance of the cru and its excellent southern exposition make this land one of the best areas for cultivating nebbiolo grapes destined to become Barolo. Abbona makes its Ravera from these vineyards, an intense and elegant Barolo with a full body.
But let me now introduce Chiara Abbona, representative of the winery who graciously agreed to answer my questions.
1- The history of creating your favorite white (yellow) wine.
Our favorite white / yellow wine is named Cinerino after the grey heron shown on the label; it comes from my father’s passion for french Condrieu (made with Viognier grapes) that brought him to plant viognier in Langa and getting this delicious wine after several years of research
2- Do you give preference (is it important for you, as for a winemaker) the color of wine?
The color of the wine to me is associated with emotions and it provides a hidden message to the consumer, so I think it’s a fundamental component of the wine
3- What is your favorite wine? And why?
My favorite wine comes from a delicious local red grape variety named Dolcetto, but as white wine I would certainly pick Puligny-Montrachet
4- I wonder why you have so many DOС and DOСG wines and even a white Tistin has DOСG?
We produce in a wine region which is the homeland of kings of wines like Barolo and Barbaresco; as a white Roero Arneis can be considered a prince, elegant, valiant and silky
5- Your choice for the "Yellow Road" (you can give 1-2 wines): PICULIN, TISTIN, CINERINO?
Cinerino
6- Who is the author (artist) of your labels with animals, birds and flowers?
Our designer was the famous artist Gianni Gallo, who decided to represent us with local birds - everybody can easily see having a walk in the vineyards- in order to explain our respect for our land and our being environmentally conscious
7- If you were an artist and decided to write a still life with wine. Which bottle of wine would you put on the table and why? What are you interested in more: the shape of the bottle, the color of the glass, the label?
I would consider the label first of all; it always brings a message with it and it is the primarily tool the winemaker uses to speak through
8- Do you have a personal collection of wines (and do you include other producers)?
We have a nice collection of old vintages of our white Cinerino, Barolo and Dogliani, but we also like to add to them white French wines, Burgundy wines, Riesling…
9- Can you share a photo with the most beautiful view (favorite point) on the vineyards or the surrounding landscape
Here you go…
10- What forms of art are you personally interested in: ballet, symphonic music, painting, sculpture?
Painting, Impressionism is my favorite
11- What wine producer (from another country) would you recommend for the "Yellow Road"
Henry Boillot
Sergey Evtuhov, author of the project
